Automatic fire escape



F. F. PYLECK AUTOMATI C FIRE ESCAPE Filed April 16, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 grwewto 'o Fran/ff. PJZec/f Patented Dec. 23, 1924.

UNl STATES FRANK F. PYLECK, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

AUTOMATIC FIRE ESCAPE.

Application filed April 16, 1924.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK, F. PYLEOK, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Fire Escapes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to fire-escapes and is an improvement of my Patent #908,034, granted Dec. 29, 1908.

The object of this invention is to provide means to support and guide the conveyor or chute, described in the aforesaid patent, in its downward descent.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a spring to give the chute an initial shove when the door of the box holding the chute is opened.

Other objects will appear as the disclosure progresses. These drawings are intended merely to indicate a possible embodiment of the invention. It is obvious that the actual needs of manufacture may necessitate certain mechanical changes. It is, therefore, not intended to limit the invention to the embodiment illustrated, but rather to define such limits in the appended claim.

In general, this improvement consists of an inclined track permanently fastened to a wall of a house, in front of the windows. Vithin the inclined track are pulleys supporting a series of rods which in turn support a chute on its downward descent.

For a more detailed understanding of the invention, attention is now called to the drawings, in which a preferred embodiment is illustrated. In these drawings, like parts are designated by like reference characters in all the views.

Figure 1 is a cross section of a Wall of a house showing the fire-escape applied there to.

Figure 2 is a similar view as shown in Figure 1 with the chute in a folded position.

Figure 3 is an elevation of a wall of a house showing the conveyor attached thereto.

Figure 4c is a section on line 4=4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a section through the conveyor.

Figure 6 is a section on line 66 of Figure Figure 7 is a section on line 7-7 of Figure at.

Referring now to the drawings in detail,

Serial No. 706,909.

numeral 1 designates an inclined track, and 2 the braces which anchor the track to the wall of a building. Alongside of the window 3 is a box at which holds a folding chute Numeral 6 designates rods which support the chute 5. At the top of the rods are wheels 7 which run in the track 1.

Surrounding the chute 5 are bands 8 which are supported by the rods 6. At the upper end of the chute 5 is a compression spring 9 which is compressed when the chute is within the box 1. When the box is opened the spring 9 will give the chute an initial shove outwardly suflicient to move same partly down the inclined track. Thence gravity will propel the chute to the ground.

At the top of the box 4 is a short section of track 10 which meets the track 1 at 11 when the fire-escape is in an operative position. To facilitate the proper lining up of the tracks 1 and 10, the track 10 is adapted to slide sideways as otherwise the two tracks would hit against each other, when the track 10 is swung on the pintle 4: into its operative position.

In Figure 4: the box 4 is shown in dotted lines in its operative position. The tracks 10 and 1 at the meeting point are cut at an angle. This is for the purpose of allowing the track 10 to move to the left when the box .L is swung on the pintle 4 to its inoperative position. Without this cut at an angle, the rails 10 and 1 would meet at right angles and the box 4: would then be unable to be swung out of the window. Likewise, this construction makes it possible for the bpx 4: to swing into its operative position a so.

Numeral 12 designates springs which urge the track 10 into a central or normal position against the stops 13 as noted in Fig. 4;. This detail is brought out in Figure 7.

Within the wall of the building a hole is provided to allow the part of the track 10 which protrudes over the box 4 to pass into the said hole when this device is in an inoperative position. The cover 14; of the hos; has a slot 15 therein for the rods 6 to pass through. The bands 8 surrounding the chute 5 are permanently fastened to the said chute, and at the top and bottom of the chute are rings also attached to the chute 5 and the bands 8. Running through the said rings are cords 16 at the top and bottom. When the cords 16 are pulled to raise the chute 5, the bottom band 8 will move up first and strike the next band moving same up. As the pull of the cords is continued, each lower band will move the next band higher up, until the entire chute is drawn up into box 4:. To draw up the chute, the Cords 16 are pulled. The chute will then take sub stantially the position within the box as shown in Figure 2.

WVhile the preferred embodiment of the invention is shown and described in detail, it will be understood that various changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit, or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention as defined by the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

In a fire-escape, the combination with a wall having an opening, a box mounted upon the wall to move to an operating position at said opening, a collapsible chute within the said box, the said chute supported by hangers, pulleys at the top of the said hangers, an inclined track, the said pulleys arranged to move along the said inclined track, braces to fasten the said track to a wall, a short section of track slidably attached to the top of the said box, springs to urge the said short section of track into a central position in line with the first mentioned track when in an operative position, a slot in the door for the cables to pass through, and a spring to give the chute an initial shove outwardly.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature. I

FRANK F. PYLEGK. 

